‘It was definitely a fantastic race for us from start to end, without big problems with the car – a perfect Sunday,’ 31-year-old Alonso told the press after the race. The team did a perfect job with the set-up of the car for qualifying and the race, with perfect pit-stop times and the way they were executed. The victory is a good reward for the team and well deserved. It feels great.’

Alonso went ahead of Raikkonen, who started second, and passed pole-sitter Hamilton at the start of lap five. Raikkonen was hindered in his bid for a win by a minor collision with McLaren’s Sergio Perez that affected his front wing but his second place moved him three points behind championship leader Vettel.

Despite not capitalising on his pole position, Briton Hamilton was pleased with his second-straight third-place finish for his new team.

‘I’m really happy with the result, it’s a great one for the team, and I’m very happy with the points,’ he said.

‘Unfortunately, we didn’t have the pace Fernando and Kimi had, but still very fortunate to get on the podium.’ Jenson Button finished a creditable fifth given the ongoing limitations of his McLaren, while Red Bull’s Mark

Webber retired after 15 laps after losing a rear wheel. Webber will start next Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix with a three-place grid penalty after being penalised for a clash with Jean-Eric Vergne.